International Letters of Natural Sciences Vol. 19

Abstract: The present investigation has been carried out to enumerate the ethnomedicinal plant growing in the paddy field of Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. Ten selected sites in the Villupuram district was taken for investigation. Random quadrate method was adapted for studying the phytosociological attributes of the weeds. A total of 145 plant species belonging to 22 families were identified, out of which 39 plant species are medicinally important to cure different diseases in human beings directly. Amaranthaceae and Euphorbiaceae was the dominant family seen during observation. Frequency, Relative frequency, Density, Relative density, Abundance, Relative abundance and Important Value Index (IVI) of the species were calculated.

Abstract: Behavioural activities in relation to toxicological aspects involve behavioural changes of aquatic organisms under the exposure of a contaminant. The present study aims to know behavioural activities of midge larvae Chironomus sp. at the in-situ acute exposure of different chemicals containing wastewater viz. lead-acid battery industrial effluent, mixed industrial effluent and fresh tap water (chlorinated) as drinking water in comparison to control (dechlorinated) water sample (aged tap water). The Chironomus larvae were kept in three different experimental chambers (perforated wall test vessels) with the exposure of different water samples. These samples were made with no dilution, 50 % dilution, 2.5 % dilution and control water sample. The behavioral activities for larvae of Chironomus sp. were measured at 0h, 2h, 24h and 48 h in in-situ condition. The behavioral activities viz. crawling, looping, ventilation, paralyses and subsequently death of the larvae were recorded in the field condition. A significant differences (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P< 0.001) were observed with increasing time of exposure while in few cases the data were increased without significance level. It was recorded that after exhibiting behavioural activities viz. crawling, looping, ventilation and paralyses finally all species were died 100 % of the population in lead acid battery effluent following both 24h and 48hr exposure. In addition, death of larvae were 70 % in mixed industrial effluent and 50 % in fresh tap water (chlorinated) after 48h exposure as compared to control sample water. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the larvae of Chironomous sp. are suitable indicators in the evaluation of the effluent quality in the studied stream, potential to know by behavioural toxicological study for heavy metals and organic pollution. Although it is a preliminary observation by assessing behavioural toxicology but future study in relation to biochemical and genetic damage of Chironomous larvae with the exposure of toxic water samples will provide bigger view.

Abstract: The binomial computerization method is comparison of certain similarities and differences of plants identification system. The ultimate purpose of the plants identification process is method of using digital tools of database and creating new version of plants identification for constructing the digital keys. The present study of plant identification system is based on computerization processes. The plants species characters are constructing basis on taxonomical literature and followed by suitable classification system and binomial rules.

Abstract: An agar degrading bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa AG LSL-11 was acclimatized to alginate for the production of alginase. Production parameters such as pH, temperature, influence of simple carbohydrates and nitrogen sources, and effect of NaCl on growth and alginase production were carried out. Maximum growth was observed at pH 9.0 and 35 °C, while alginase was produced optimally at pH 9.0 and 30 °C. The alginase produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AG LSL-11 was inducible by alginate, and repressed by other simple sugar when supplemented along with alginate in the medium. The bacterium did not require NaCl for growth and production of alginase. The activity staining of partially purified culture supernatant after native PAGE revealed the presence of a single alginase.

Abstract: The present study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity of different organic solvent increasing polarity viz., hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol extracts of Ulva fasciata (Chlorophyceae) were collected from Kanniyakummari, Gulf of Mannar biosphere Reserve, Tamilnadu, India. Marine green algae extracts of U. fasciata against multi-drug resistant standard and clinical bacterial strains viz., Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio cholerae, Shigella flexneri, Proteus mirabilis and P. vulgaris. The ethyl acetate extracts of U. fasciata showed highest antibacterial activity against all the bacterial strains tested. The mean zone of inhibition produced by the extracts in disc diffusion assays were ranged from 7.1 mm to 15.0 mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) were between 125 μg/ml and 500 μg/ml, while the Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations (MBC) were between 250 μg/ml and 1000 μg/ml. The highest mean of zone inhibition (15.0 mm) and lowest MIC (125 μg/ml) and MBC (250 μg/ml) values were observed in ethyl acetate extract of U. fasciata against B. subtilis. The ethyl acetate extract of the U. fasciata showed the presence of phytochemicals, terpenoids, tannins and phenolic compounds in U. fasciata than the other solvents extracts. The present results of the ethyl acetate extract of U. fasciata can be used as an antibacterial substance for the treatment of multi drug resistant bacterial infections

Abstract: A field study was carried out during the two cropping seasons of okra to investigate the efficacy of plant extracts and synthetic insecticides applied singly and synergistic effect of botanicals with the synthetic insecticide on some insect pests of okra. Plots were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with three replications. Three insect pests of okra (Podagrica uniformis, Podagrica sjostedti and Zenocerous variegatus) were observed on the field. Cypermethrin applied singly and Cypermethrin combined with plant extracts effectively controlled observed insect pests, followed by lone application of plant extracts (L camara, T. vogelii and Z. officinales plant extracts at 1^st and 2^nd season. Okra yield revealed that both plant extract and Cypermethrin combined with plant extract were not significantly different from one another at first season and at second season Cypermethrin combined with plant extracts performed better than Cypermethrin applied singly. This study indicates that the studied plant extracts can be good synergist for Cypermethrin in controlling field pest of okra.

Abstract: The role of the village must to be first class, because are their potentials major development power future of Montenegro. This requires radically new attitude of society and science to the village. It must they are develop a new concept, a comprehensive rural development, which will be based on demographic, natural, economic and socio-cultural resources. Responsible role in the development of this concept has both geographical science, it’s the comprehensive approach should combine research efforts and results of other sciences. Rural village Gnjili Potok provides outstanding opportunities to create new forms of co-existence in response to the disintegration of family, cultural and social structures in terms dictated by the post-modern global world.

Abstract: On-Farm trials were conducted from July to November during the 2009 and 2010 cropping seasons, at Tarka, Benue State, Nigeria to evaluate the effects of intercropping maize and soybean on striga control, grain yields and economic productivity. The treatments consisted of sole maize, sole soybean and the intercrop of maize and soybean, replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. The results obtained showed that intercropping maize and soybean significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced striga shoot count by 55.9 % and 56.1 % respectively, in 2009 and 2010 compared to that produced on pure maize plots. Number of affected maize plants, lodging score of maize and infestation rate were lower for intercropping than for sole maize plots. The severity level was also recorded lower for intercropping compared to that recorded for pure maize stands, where severity level is in the range of high to very high. Though, soybean yield was reduced by intercropping, however, soybean and maize intercropping system increased maize grain yield, total intercrop yield, land equivalent coefficient greater than 0.25, land equivalent ratio values greater than one (LER > 1), higher total intercrop values and monetary equivalent ratio greater than 1.00, indicating yield and economic advantages. The implication of study showed that intercropping maize and soybean can be adopted by farmers as an efficient cropping system strategy to reduce striga infestation, increase maize yield and give greater economic productivity.

Abstract: This study investigated insect pest infestation of maize, millet, sorghum, rice and wheat grains traded in the three main markets namely Monday, Baga-Road and Custom-Park markets in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. Sampling lasted from January to June 2012. Samples per grain type, each weighing one kilogram, were obtained every two weeks from ten randomly selected traders per market. Each sample was sieved in the laboratory to recover all adult insects present, both at sampling and also after one month stay (laid out in a completely randomized design). In each market, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) followed by Tribolium castaneum Herbst, Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus), Trogoderma granarium (Everts) or Cryptolestes sp. were the insect pests commonly found attacking more (between two to five) grain types. Observed highest and lowest mean insect numbers were respectively by S. zeamais in maize grains (12.13 individuals in Monday market) and T. granarium in wheat grains (0.13 individuals in Baga-Road market). Results unveil that among three markets, higher mean total numbers of insects were present in maize, rice or wheat (18-33). For all grain types, the mean numbers of damaged grains were significantly higher in Monday (53-357) and Custom-Park (46-302) than in Baga-Road (17-109) markets. Furthermore, the mean total number of damaged grains across markets was significantly higher maize, followed by rice and wheat (55-231) than in other grain types (37-41). The implications of all these results on insect infestation of different cereal grain types sold in these markets are discussed.

Abstract: Diarrhoea in developing countries is caused by an increasingly long list of bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens with rotavirus, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, and Salmonella heading the list. Using methods to detect most of the known enteropathogens, one or more enteropathogen(s) is isolated in two-thirds of diarrhoeal illnesses in the developing world. Deoxyribonucleic acid probes have proved very useful in detecting pathogens such as enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and Shigella but have not yet proved to be particularly rapid or less expensive. Molecular biology has proved useful in epidemiological studies as a means of strain identification and detection of genome diversity. Since the introduction of ribonucleic acid gene restriction patterns as taxonomic tools in 1986, ribotyping has become an established method for systematics, epidemiological, ecological population and genome diversity studies of microorganisms including Shigella. The technological development culminated in the automation of ribotyping which allowed for high-throughput applications. PCR ribotyping has proved being a highly discriminatory, flexible, robust and cost-efficient routine technique which makes inter-laboratory comparison and build of ribotype databases possible, too. The aim of the present review is to determine the present status of ribotyping technique in detecting the diversity in Shigella isolates.